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News Review of Current
Events the World Over
Cuba in Turmoil as Machado Refuses to Quit the Presi¬
dency—Germany Rebuffs Britain and France—
National Recovery Progress.
By EDWARD W. PICKARD
ERARDO MACHADO, president
of Cuba, appeared to be reach¬
ing the end of his rope, but was stub¬
bornly defiant of his and
Gerardo
Machado
would succeed to the presi¬
dency in event that office became va¬
cant. He would then select a cabinet
representative of all political fac¬
tions, constitutional reforms would be
submitted to congress and later to a
constitutional convention; and the vice
presidential office would be filled by
either the congress or the supreme
court.
To this proposition President Ma¬
chado replied:
"I am and will continue to be the
president of the Republic of Cuba,
exercising all of my constitutional
prerogatives. Of these 1 cannot relin¬
quish the smallest part without be¬
coming a traitor to the confidence re¬
posed in me by the people of Cuba
when they freely gave their votes to
me, or without diminishing the inde¬
pendence and sovereignty of a repub¬
lic that I assisted in founding, having
fought in the war for independence.”
The Cuban congress supported Ma¬
chado in his determination to retain
his office, and the mediation efforts of
Ambassador Welles were denounced
as detrimental to the sovereignty of
the republic. To those who know con¬
ditions on the island this is not sur¬
prising. The basis of Machado's pow¬
er is the state lottery. He controls
this institution and by his favor many
leading congressmen are able to re¬
alize large sums from the sale of lot¬
tery tickets.
What the people think of Machado
was plainly indicated by the events
just preceding the crisis described. It
was reported in Havana that the pres¬
ident had resigned and immediately
a great throng began demonstrating
joyfully. But the police and troops
attacked viciously, killing some and
wounding many, and the marchers fled
in dismay. Martial law was declared
and the city was patroled, but acts of
violence were frequent.
For several days the city had been
tied up by a general transportation
strike that involved many industries.
The government announced it had
granted the demands of the laborers,
but the union men refused to return
to work while constitutional guaran¬
ties of freedom remained suspended.
Cuban politicians thought Machado's
rejection of Welles’ peace plan would
lead to intervention by the United
States, but in Washington this was
considered quite unlikely. To send our
marines to the island would be con¬
trary to President Roosevelt's de¬
clared policy, and would stultify the
position he took concerning the Jap¬
anese in Manchuria.
Mr. Welles declared that mediation
was not ended, and Machado in his
statement said; "I am disposed to
mediate with my political adversaries
and to concede to them their just de¬
mands to any extent that will not di¬
minish the authority or the prestige
of the institutions of the republic or
the head of the state.”
O ECRETARY OF STATE CORDELL
HULL, back from the London con¬
ference, is again In his offices at the
State and has lost none
of his International¬
ism. He still believes
all nations can and
should co-operate to
end the world depres¬
sion, and says domes¬
tic programs for rais¬
ing prices and reduc¬
ing unemployment are
but the preludes to.
such co-operation. Mr.
Hull also announced
that the United States
was ready and willing
to promote close trade and commercial
relations with the countries of Latin
America, and suggested the negotia¬
tion of specific commercial agreements.
In advocating bi-lateral trade agree¬
ments under the most favored nation
principle, Hull explained that such
agreements would relate primarily to
commodities of a noncompetitive na¬
ture. He explained that reciprocal
trade agreements would not neces¬
sarily conflict with most favored na¬
tion treaties, because such agreements
would be thrown open to signature by
other nations which, however, might
not be interested in the products af¬
fected by the treaties because the
treaties would affect particular prod¬
ucts which would best be manufac¬
tured in some one nation.
Explaining why the economic con¬
ference did not achieve the full meas¬
ure of success that had been hoped for,
flatly rejected the plan
offered by American
Ambassador Sumner
Welles for settlement
of the island’s po¬
litical turmoil. Mr.
Welles told Machado
that be should ask
congress for a leave
of absence after ap¬
pointing an acceptable
man for the position
of secretary of state;
that secretary, accord¬
ing to the Cuban con¬
Sec’y Hull
Hull said the various nations found
that their economic problems and the
problem of co-operation were much
more difficult than had been imagined.
Nevertheless, he was unwilling to con¬
sider the Tendon gathering of 66 na¬
tions a failure.
r FRENCH Germany fears of sharply another stimulated war with
were
by the abrupt refusal of the Hitler
government to consider the parallel re¬
quests made by Great Britain and
France that Nazi propaganda In Aus¬
tria be discontinued. The two pro¬
testing nations declared the course
Germany was pursuing was in viola¬
tion of the spirit of the four power
peace pact recently signed; but their
ambassadors were told by the German
foreign office that the BerliD govern¬
ment failed to see any reason for ap¬
plication of the four power treaty Id
this instance, and that Germany re¬
garded as Inadmissible this interfer¬
ence in the German-Austrian trouble.
Italy had declined to join Britain
and France in their protest, but did
make friendly representations to Ber¬
lin concerning the Nazi aerial propa¬
ganda over Austrian territory. The
Italian government was informally ad¬
vised that Germany would take steps
immediately to end this practice. This
eased the situation considerably, but
French statesmen were pessimistic and
believed the whole affair would lead
to the sniashup of the disarmament
conference when it reassembles In the
fall.
f^\NE of the most important branches
of the NBA, the national labor
mediation board, met in Washington,
formally organized and got at
Senator
Wagner
C. Toagie. Dr. Leo Wolman,
Louis E. Kirstein, John L. Lewis, Wil¬
liam Green and Gerard Swope.
Henry I. Harriman. president of the
United States Chamber of Commerce,
is highly optimistic concerning the
employment situation. At San Fran¬
cisco he predicted that 7.000,000 per¬
sons would be re-employed by the end
of this year.
DUT liberally now, but buy only from
dealers who display the hlue eagle.
Is the advice of Gen. Hugh Johnson,
national recovery administrator. His
justifiable expectation is that prices
soon will advance as the various codes
get into operation and the purchasing
power of the people increases. At the
same time the recovery administration
is taking sraps to keep the retailers
within the terms of their agreements
and to check profiteering. House¬
wives and wage earners over, the en¬
tire country are being organized for
house to house and store to store can¬
vasses to insure against infractions of
codes and to prevail on buyers to pat¬
ronize only blue eagle businesses.
Miss Mary Hughes, director of the
women's section of the emergency re¬
employment campaign, announced com¬
pletion of an organization in 4S states
to carry on the educational and “polic¬
ing” work. Violators of codes and
agreements are threatened with publi¬
cation of their names.
Deputy Administrator A. D. White
side. In charge of the retail store tem¬
porary code, said he had received re¬
ports from many parts of the country
that retail stores are entering agree¬
ments to shorter hours of operation
so they will not have to hire addi¬
tional workers. The enforced creation
of more jobs is the major objective of
the campaign.
Tn numerous cases stores aiso are
“staggering” their employees to avoid
an increase of their forces, Whiteside
said. He sent a sharp warning to
the Indiana Retail Grocers' association, j
which was intended as an admonition
to retailers generally and which was
immediately effective.
Among the many codes offered was
one for the daily and Sunday news¬ !
papers.
A K1ZONA became the twenty-first
state to ratify the prohibition re¬
peal amendment, the wets winning by
a majority of more than 3 to 1. Their
victory was unexpectedly complete, al¬
though the drys had failed to muster
enough votes to place delegates on the
ballot.
Mrs. Isabella Greenway. national
Democratic eommitteewoman and a
personal friend of President and Mrs.
Roosevelt, easily captured the Demo¬
cratic nomination to fill the congres¬
sional post vacated by Lewis Douglas
when he was named director of the
federal budget. The victory insured
her election because of the absence of
Republican opposition
once, taking up first
a controversy in New
Orleans. Senator
Robert F, Wagner of
New York, chairman
of the board, was on
vacation in Europe
but messages were
sent to him asking
that he return imme¬
diately. His secre¬
tary represented him
at the board's ses¬
sions. the other mem¬
bers present .being
PRESIDENT * appeal to both ROOSEVELT sides and by Hugh his
Johnson by vigorous argument and
threat brought the big bituminous
coal strike in Pennsylvania to an end.
Their efforts were ably seconded by
Edward F. McGrady. the NRA labor
representative in the controversy. At
first many of the workers were in¬
clined not to obey the order of the
union chiefs to return to the mines,
but when Mr. McGrady arrived at tin
iontown by plane and told the men;
“I am acting for the President of the
United States and asking you to go
back to work," they cheered him,
picked up their lamps and got back
to the pits. The trouble was mainly
concerning recognition by the opera¬
tors of the nationally organized un¬
ions.
Under terms of the truce reached in
Washington the miners are to lay
their problems before a board appoint¬
ed by the President, pending accept¬
ance of the coal code. Miners are to
employ their own checkweighmen to
calculate the amount of coal produced,
upon which their pay depends.
/""t HINA’S last faint chance to re
cover Manchuria and Jehol from
Japan probably has disappeared, for
Gen. Feng Yu-hsiang, the independent
■, IP 1
■
Feng
Yu-hsiang
governor of Chahar prov¬
ince, seat of Feng's most recent oper¬
ations. and the government will be
reorganized.
Feng has been one of modern
China's most romantic figures and his
persistent opposition worried Japan
not a little. His capitulation is at¬
tributed to a lack of funds and muni¬
tions as well as mutiny and dissat¬
isfaction among his own men. said at
one time to have numbered 20,000.
Added were Japanese threats to boy¬
cott Kaigan, and the vastly superior
national government forces sent
against him.
*~f^HREE recognized authorities on
-*- economics and finance had a sig¬
nificant conference with the President
at the summer White House in Hyde
Park, N. Y. They were James War¬
burg, one of the fiscal experts for the
American delegation at the London
conference, and Profs. George F. War¬
ren of Cornell university and James
H. Rogers of Yale university.
The two professors brought to the
President a report on the studies they
have been conducting for him, includ¬
ing the budget, taxation, the tariffs,
and particularly the possibility of
adopting a dollar which would be
geared to the commodity price index,
rising and falling in value with the
values of wholesale commodities.
T'WO bold French aviators, Maurice
-*■ Rossi and Paul Codos, set a new
record for non-stop flight and are due
to receive a million francs from the
French government. Starting from
New York, they flew almost directly
to Ra.vak, Syria, about 500 miles fur¬
ther than the previous record. They
intended to go to Bagdad but couldn't
quite make it Rossi said he thought
the record would be accepted at 9.300
kilometers (5,775.3 miles), although
they actually flew more than 10.000
kilometers (6,210 miles) at an average
speed of 166 kilometers (82.28 miles)
an hour.
General Balbo and his Italian sea¬
plane fleet reached the Azores, some
of the planes coming down at Ponta
Delgada and the others at Horta. Aft¬
er a night of festivity and rest the
big planes took off for home via Lis¬
bon ; but one of them, commanded by
Captain Ranieri. upset and was left
behind. Lieutenant Squaglia was
killed, Ranieri was injured, and the
others of the crew suffered from
shock and bruises.
/^V UR government is getting out of
the shipping business as fast as
possible. Under an executive order
from the President the shipping board
is now abolished, and the merchant
fleet corporation and its remaining 38
ships and 1,000 employees are trans¬
ferred to the Department of Commerce
for direction. Secretary Roper's de¬
partment intends to carry on the pol¬
icy of winding up commercial mari¬
time activities.
Two years ago the corporation had
approximately 300 ships. It had hun¬
dreds of employees scattered about
this country and in foreign ports. Sale
and lease of its shipping lines have re¬
duced both personnel and ships,
Under reorganization the Commerce
department may re-employ within the
next four months as many of the
workers as it needs. Many will be ah
sorbed temporarily hy the depart
ment, officials expecting the force to
be decreased gradually as the fleet
corporation's affairs are closed up.
\T V IOLENUE in the New York state
mill; strike increased daily and
Gov. Herbert Lehmab. though reluc¬
tant to call out the National Guard,
consulted with its commander and
prepared to take that extreme step i
If it were deemed necessary. The
state police, acting as guards for i
milk trucks, were in conflict with the
strikers in many localities, using bul¬
lets and tear gas against the armed
farmers. Most of the cities and towns
obtained plenty of milk.
<SD. 1933. Western Newspaper Union.
CLEVEIZAND COURIER
commander who had
been leading the fight
against Japanese ag
gression, has given up
and signed a peace
pact with the national
government. Under
the agreement he ab¬
dicates all titles,
turns over the com¬
mand of his troops to
the national govern¬
ment and retires to
p o 1 i t ical obscurity.
Gen. Sung Cheh-Yuan
GEORGIA
NEWS
Happenings Over
the State
The Moultrie Observer notes that
salt was once used as money. Maybe
they were unable to salt any of it
away.
Last week marked the beginning of
cotton picking in Wilkes county, and
cotton ginning will begin in the imme¬
diate future.
The Macon Cooperage Company, of
Macon, is preparing to install a plant
at Louisville and work up suitable
timber in that section.
A fork-tailed lizard has been found
in Albany and the Albany Herald has
it preserved in alcohol just in case
there are skeptics who want proof.
The new state highway board is con¬
sidering the abolition of its mainte¬
nance division and turning the task
of maintaining all roads over to the
counties, it was learned recently.
Macon real estate dealers want Geor¬
gia senators and congressmen to exert
their influence toward obtaining $10,
000,000 federal highway funds alloted
this state.
Chatham county officials see a re¬
flection of better times in the Savan¬
nah & Atlantic railroad, operating un¬
der a receivership, paying six years*
back taxes.
For July the Wilkes county co-oper¬
ative creamery hung up a new produc¬
tion record of 21,400 pounds of butter,
the largest output for any month since
organization in 192S.
Bibb county dairymen have asked
NRA officials- to conduct an investiga¬
tion of what they term the high price
of cotton seed meal which is used wide¬
ly as feed for dairy cows.
Further development of municipal
docking facilities at Savannah harbor
is described as the motive for the city
board of aldermen buying a 10-acre
tract facing the waterfront.
The 31st session of the University
of Georgia summer school ended Fri¬
day evening, August 11, with exercises
in the university chapel. Eighty-seven
students were candiates for degrees at
the exercises.
Attorney General M. J. Y’eomans re¬
turned from Washington, D. C., last
week much encouraged over the pros¬
pects of prompt payment of the $10,
000,000 federal appropriation for the
highway department.
The firm of Lucas and Jenkins, At¬
lanta theater owners, has obtained con¬
trol of every showhouse for white peo¬
ple in Macon. Arthur Barry, city man¬
ager for the concern made the an¬
nouncement recently.
Forty-one railroads operating within
the State of Georgia have been cited
by the Public Service Commission to
show cause why freight rates should
not be reduced. The hearing is called
for the first week in September.
A. Y. Jones, operator of a sawmill in
Brinson, is reducing unemployment in
a novel way. He has hired an extra
crew' of ten men to pull sunken logs
out of Spring creek and haul them to
the mill to be sawed into lumber.
A common carrier engaged in inter¬
state commerce may transport beer
across the State of Georgia, provided
it is not consigned to any Georgia
point, Judge W. W. Stark, superior
court judge at Commerce, has ruled.
Payrolls have been materially in¬
creased throughout, and approximate¬
ly 1,000 workers have been added to
the rolls of the Callaway Mills of La
Grange, Hogansville, Manchester, Mil
stead and Roanoke, Ala., according to
Cason J. Callaway, president.
Warning that “this is a critical time
in the nation’s history and unless ev¬
ery person who displays the NRA blue
eagle lives up to the spirit and the
letter of the agreement, dire results
will follow,” Postmaster E. K. Large,
Atlanta, said in a recent speech.
The launching of the federal public
works program in Georgia will go for¬
ward immediately after the appoint¬
ment of a consulting engineer by au¬
thorities at Washington, the Georgia
advisory commission made it known
recently, following a meeting at which
the first projects submitted to the
board for its approval were taken up
and considered.
Two squashes, a yard long, are being
exhibited by Farmer J. A. Saggus, at
Washington. According to the grow¬
er, the elongated variety are as desira¬
ble for the table as the “crook neck.”
The new variety will also last longer.
It can be used while yet growing, as
it will “come out” again from the stub
left at the first cutting, according to
Mr. Saggus.
An additional allotment of federal
relief funds has been received by the
Lamar county agency, members of the
local commission have announced.
Although the contract has been let
for the Georgia Hall building at Warm
Springs and work is progressing rap¬
idly. in order that the building may
be finished by the time of President
Roosevelt’s visit this fall, new Geor¬
gia counties are being continuously
added to the honor roll, which now in¬
cludes more than 100 of the 159 coun¬
ties in the state.
National Topics Interpreted
by William Bmckart
Washington.—No one can watch
Washington these days and not be
amazed at the tre
Great Drive mendous driving
for Recovery force that is being
put behind the sev¬
eral schemes to awaken the nation and
get business going again. It is as
though the war engines of a powerful
foreign enemy were pounding at the
fortifications marking the threshold of
our country which. Indeed, is true, ex¬
cept that the enemy, depression, Is
and has been among us through almost
four years. I think I can say without
fear of successful contradiction that
governmental activity is as feverish,
as wildly unsystematic, If you please,
as any we observed during the trying
days of the great World war. Though
It is along different lines, the activity
Is none the less as direct and as posi¬
tive, and in some respects as militaris¬
tic.
In such an analogy as this, it should
be stated that the federal forces are
now being subjected to more severe
Influence throughout the land than
they faced during the preparation for
and prosecution of the World war.
Then, there was a physical fear which
1 could be held up before the people as
a reason for united action. That
; threat cannot be employed now. In
its absence the government is unable
to overcome the innate selfishness that
must be largely overcome to make the
general recovery program a success.
In the beginning of the World war,
fh was necessary to strike quickly and
hard at the enemy military plans. In
the current campaign, it is necessary
to strike quickly and hard or else some
business interests will wait to see how
the picture is going to look in order
to gain some advantage for themselves.
Thus, the campaign is at least partial¬
ly spoiled. The reason for the thun¬
derous drive, the mental and mus¬
cle strain of these days becomes ap¬
parent. If the objections of those who
are hesitant about signing are broadly
heard, others who had wanted to con¬
form get suspicious about the conces¬
sions they have made and begin to
shy away.
Therefore, throughout the govern¬
ment one finds today weary-eyed exec¬
utives, tired clerks, near exhaustion
from the endless hours of labor. For
example, in the agricultural adjust¬
ment administration and in the na¬
tion recovery administration, clerks
are working In three shifts, and the
executives may be found in their of¬
fices anywhere from snn-up until long
after the following midnight Wheth¬
er you are completely convinced of the
efficacy of the various plans and pro¬
grams, or whether you just hope they
may be successful, your admiration
and respect for those who are trying
to construct this new machinery eer
; tainly is warranted.
As a sample of the driving force
(hat has been exerted and is being
exerted every day to
President a greater or less ex
Saves the Day tent ' " as th e ®°lu-.
tion of the wrangle
presented in the Pennsylvania strike
situation. That was not an ordinary
strike. Its portents were nationwide.
It involved questions the answers to
which meant the making or the break¬
ing of the basic recovery principles.
In the first instance, the most pow¬
erful corporate unit in the world—the
United States Steel corporation—was
the government’s adversary. I sav the
government’s adversary because unless
ihe recovery administration was able
to reconcile the differences between
the corporation and the union workers,
the program of blanket codes and
group codes and everything else was
imperiled. Gen. Hugh S. Johnson, re¬
covery administrator, could not get the
warring groups together. He was
ready to throw up the sponge. But
he had one more trick In the bag and
that was to call for help from the
President of the United States. Some¬
how, that trick worked. Whether the
merits of the case were with the cor¬
poration or whether they were with
the government, the power of the gov¬
ernment was and had to be supreme
in the emergency.
While observers here are not In¬
clined to defend the steel corporation
fully for taking the position it did, it
can be said with equal force that most
of them believe there was real danger
of infringement of private property
rights. In this sense, therefore, the
corporation was within its rights in
resisting. When It yielded, it appears,
If yielded not to the labor unions
which had stirred up the trouble, but
to the sovereignty of government.
The basic controversy involved in
the steel corporation case was the
question of so-called company unions.
Labor leaders, the professionals, nat¬
urally want to have all workers In the
national organizations. Otherwise, the
.strike as a weapon is ineffective. Be¬
ing quick to see a vulnerable spot, la¬
bor took advantage of the situation to
lick the steel corporation which here¬
tofore has permitted its employees to
belong only to company unions. In
other words, it has been an open shop.
In view of these facts, it seems to me
that organized labor is as much en¬
titled to criticism in the circumstance
as is the greatest corporation in the
world. Organized labor has been
wielding too much influence in the re¬
covery organization according to the
consensus here, and Its insistence on
advantages promises further difficul¬
ties.
» • •
The Department of Agriculture has
set for itself the big job of establish¬
ing fair prices for
To Check the consumer \Vhile
Profiteering giving wbat ,s talH
tamount , to a guar¬
antee of higher prices for the things
the farmer produces. Through a se¬
ries of statements, Secretary Wallace
has repeatedly affirmed that the re¬
turns to the farmers must be increased
in every direction. Simultaneously,
Dr. Fred C. Howe, who as the consum¬
ers' counsel represents the side of the
buyers in the government's agricul¬
tural set-up, made the announcement
that he was going to compile weekly
lists of prices for publication as a
means of protecting against the profi¬
teer.
From this arrangement it would be
made to appear that there will have to
be reasonable prices maintained every¬
where on food commodities. But ob¬
servers here have been picking up nu¬
merous angles of the situation which
they believe contain elements of trou¬
ble. Doctor Howe, of course, will be
able to .gather price lists at whatever
rate and in whatever volume he de¬
sires, and he can get them distributed
through the press and through the
radio to the bulk of the people of the
United States. But the question that
is being asked here is, what method '
is Doctor Howe going to employ that
will fix a price just and reasonable
everywhere and provide the farmers
with all of the return promised them!
Some of the more critical say there is
a likelihood that Doctor Howe is going
to run into a difference of opinion,
what with farmers demanding more*
added expenses forcing the retailer to
charge more and the ultimate con¬
sumer with limited means of buying
the things concerned.
Of course, there can be no doubt but
that some retailers are going to try to
capitalize on the situation and profi¬
teer on prices. Doctor Howe is set
to defeat them by the weight of public
opinion which must be regarded as a
commendable course. Yet, according
to. the consensus one finds in Washing¬
ton, that which Doctor Howe an¬
nounces as a fair and reasonable price
is unlikely always to fit the situation.
In the course of negotiations be¬
tween the recovery administrators and
industrial represent
It’s a Tough atives, one of the
Problem Rreat P roWpms was
how to arrange a
fair basis for competition when dif¬
ferent factories had such widely dif¬
ferent costs of production. The high¬
ly efficient plant could produce, at
much lower cost, obviously, than could
the plant that was obsolete in equip¬
ment and managed in haphazard fash¬
ion. The same situation obtains with
respect to retailers. Chain stores with
great buying power and the resultant
advantage of lower prices are natural¬
ly going to be able to sell at a lower
price than the independent store own¬
er who buys in small quantities and
has higher overhead costs. Now, say
the critical-minded, if Doctor Howe
fixes as a fair priee that for which the
chain store is able to sell its goods,
what is going to happen to the inde¬
pendents? If. on the other hand, the
price level quoted by Doctor Howe ap¬
proximates the price charged by the
independent, then the chain store can
and undoubtedly will get all of the
business. It will make use of those
figures in advertising the fact that the
chain store prices are “below the gov¬
ernment priee.” Manifestly, that will
be unfair to the independent. But, I
am prompted to ask. what can Doctor
Howe do about it?
In announcing his program to estab¬
lish fair prices, Doctor Howe said
there were consumers’ councils being
organized in scores of cities and towns.
These, he averred, would help in see¬
ing that no merchant profiteered.
There can be ho doubt of the fact that
these consumers’ councils will exert
a tremendous influence. Old-timers
here, however, recalled that the fight
against profiteering during the World
war developed many nasty situations,
Overzealous Individuals, conscientious
in their efforts, hut sometimes a bit
shy of horse sense, made a personal
matter out of such things as patriotic
action.
Prof. Raymond Moley has been de¬
tached as Assistant‘secretary of state
to have charge of the federal govern
ment's campaign against crime, espe¬
cially kidnaping and racketeering. .It
was the first break In the “brain
trust,” that group of professors with
whom the President surrounded him
self. Some weeks ago I wrote in these
columns the prediction that such a re¬
sult had to come, it was obvious.
The professor and Ids theories can he
used by Hie statesmen and practical
men only so far. Professor Mole.v
was of no use to Secretary Hull In the
Department of State after his adven
hires in connection with the London
economic conference and the unfavor¬
able publicity (hat the professor
caused. In assisting Professor Moley
to the Job of banishing crime, the
President said Inter he would put him
back ns assistant secretary of state
©. 1933. Western Nowanaoer Union.